[Adam Gruca (1893-1983)].

Adam Gruca is one of most eminent and most well-known Polish orthopaedists. His contribution to the development of this branch of medicine is huge, and innovations, of which was an author remain current to this day. In the article author introduced both his unusual, often the dramatic life, as well as the wonderful academic career.

[The pathomorphology of congenital spinal defects in relation to future clinical development of the disease].

The authors categorised congenital malformations of the spine into five different pathomorphologic groups basing on a series of 61 cases (age ranging from 1 to 50 years): defects of the vertebra, of the vertebral body, intervertebral synostosis, rib synostosis, and defects of the vertebral arch. A total of over 30 different kinds of malformations were obtained in this classification. In the analysed series 34 patients had a predominant kind of malformation, while in 27 cases mixed malformations were noted.